"We went out there and executed our game plan to the fullest,"
Marion said. "We took them out of their triangle (offense) and
everything they wanted to do tonight."

Tom Gugliotta scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds off
the bench and Mario Elie chipped in nine points, six rebounds
and five assists.

"It was a great overall performance from everybody who stepped
on the court," said Phoenix coach Scott Skiles, who earned his
first win as a coach over the Lakers in seven tries. "I don't
think you can place too much emphasis on this game. They are
playing without Kobe."

Phoenix's offense was in rhythm from the start as the Suns
jumped out to a 27-22 lead after the first quarter.

Things got worse for the Lakers as Phoenix reeled off 33 points
in the second.

The Suns led, 42-34, with 4:51 left in the second when a 20-foot
jumper by Marion sparked an 18-6 run. Marion added nine more
points during the spurt as Phoenix raced to a 60-40 halftime
lead.

Los Angeles got within nine in the second half but could not
sustain a run long enough to pose a serious threat and Phoenix
cruised to its fourth straight win. It is now in the seventh
spot in the Western Conference playoff race, percentage points
ahead of Minnesota.

The Suns avenged their worst loss of the season, a 115-78
massacre on December 28. They also lost to Los Angeles, 85-83,
on February 7.

"They came out for some blood tonight," Lakers coach Phil
Jackson said. "The last upteenth times we've beaten them and
they're well aware of it. That was a painful night. That's all
you can say about that game."

The Lakers shot just 37 percent (26-of-69) and fell percentage
points behind idle Sacramento for second place in the Pacific
Division.

Los Angeles holds the fourth spot in the West, two games behind
conference-leading San Antonio.

Shaquille O'Neal had 27 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles,
which fell to 6-2 this season without Bryant. O'Neal usually
has his way with Phoenix inside but scored a good share of his
points from the free-throw line, where he was an
uncharacteristic 13-of-18.

"The key to the game was that Shaq had a lot of touches but only
15 shots," said Skiles, a former teammate of O'Neal's in
Orlando. "Everybody did a good job of collapsing. We had him
pretty much under control and made him take some difficult
shots."